Acosta, Anderson hook up for EW's game-winning goal
By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on September 26, 2014 1:48 PM
aetzler@newsargus.com
PIKEVILLE -- When Eastern Wayne stepped off the bus to play crosstown rival Charles B. Aycock, they knew they were going to be without Ethan Zadrozny.
The Warriors' defensive midfielder sat out the game out for an undisclosed reason. Head coach Jorg Wagner moved forward Victor Kokiko to the midfield to fill in for Zadrozny.
Eastern Wayne got a welcomed break when Charles B. Aycock defender Dallen Edwards received a red card. The Warriors held a potent Golden Falcons attack in check and won 2-1 in Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference play Thursday evening.
Ethan Quinn finished a goal early in the first half on an assist from Kokiko to give Eastern Wayne the momentum.
After Edwards received his red card, the Golden Falcons got a jolt of momentum and dominated possession for the rest of the match. They had seven one-on-one breakaways against Eastern Wayne keeper Ryan Fleming, but couldn't tuck away any goals.
"A lot of people don't realize that it actually can be tougher to defend a team that's playing a man down," Eastern Wayne coach Jorg Wagner said. "The shape changes a lot and there's more space on the field and they were able to exploit that space."
Although C.B. Aycock didn't have a lot of luck, Chris Grieve was able to get behind the Warriors' back line in the 56th minute. He ran down a a pass from Jacob Norris and found the left corner of the net.
The Warriors responded less than a minute later when Alex Acosta finished a header on a corner kick from Christian Anderson.
"That was a play me and Christian work on a lot in practice and I was able to get my head on it and score," Acosta said. "It was my first goal with my head."
Acosta, who is from Honduras, is new to the area so the rivalry between the two teams is somewhat lost on him. Due to the split conference they play in, this match usually plays a big role in which team makes the 3-A playoffs.
Each game tends to be extremely physical. This was one was no different, as five yellow cards were handed out.
"That's just the way it's going to be when these two schools meet," CBA midfielder and captain Bobby Hampton said. "It doesn't matter what sport, volleyball, baseball, football it's going to be a physical game."
The Warriors beat the Golden Falcons for the first time since 2011.
Despite the missed chances, the loss that puts CB Aycock in a tough situation if they're going to make the playoffs.
Golden Falcons coach Byron Adkins was pleased his team's ability to respond being a man down.
"I thought they took that challenge on well," Adkins said. "But at some point you have to finish those. We didn't. Now we have to go to their field and win one. Our backs are against the wall now."